Cycle.



Patented Ian. 28, I902. A. SHARP.

C Y C L E (Application filed Oct. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

m: uoams mm; '30.. Puofaume WASHIN Patented Jan. 28, I902; A. SHARP.

.0 Y C L E.

(Application filed. Oct. 26, 1901.

(No Model.)

FIG.27

ma NORRIS PETERS cu, mm'rou'mo. WASHINGTON n. c.

Patented Jan. 28, I902.

A. SHARP C Y O L E.

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1801.;

3 Sheets shemt 3.

(No Model.)

FIG. 4

nt-mums PETERS cu, puoraumm WASHINGTON. n. C.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AROIIIBALD SHARP, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,078, dated January 28, 1902. Application filed October 26, 1901. Serial No. 80,142. (No model.)

To all whom it hwy concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD SHARP, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 47 Victoria street, Westminster, London, S. W., England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cycles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, primarily,to improve ments in spring-frame cycles, but some of the said improvements may be applied to rigidframe cycles. In a spring-frame bicycle I use two springs, preferably of compressed air, one in the steering-head and one in a tube above the back fork, as has often been done before; but I use new methods of constructing the various parts, so as to allow any one part being easily accessible Without unnecessarily 1 disturbing other parts.

- tion and half in elevation.

Figure 1 is a general arrangement of a bicycle fitted with compressed-air springs, as described hereinafter. Fig. 2 is a view of the steering-head and front air-spring,half in secsectional detail. Fig. 4 is a view of the rear air-spring and its connections, partly in elevation and partly in section.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

A is the front air-spring and steering-head.

B is the back air-spring. V

O is the hinge by which the back air-spring and rear fork E are jointed to the frame.

D is the bottom-bracket hinge on which the chain-stays F swing.

G is the handle-bar lug and adjuster.

The socket-tube l is brazed in the usual way to the rigid portion of the frame. The steering-tube 2,.crown 3, and fork sides 4 are brazed together,as usual,to form one rigid structure; but the steering-tube 2, besides being able to turn inside the socket-tube l,can move up and down therein under control of the air-spring described hereinafter. A tube 5, fixed to the ball-head, (called hereinafter the center tube,) has secured to its lower end a grooved piston 6, which engages by means of a long feather-key 7 with the steering-tube 2, so that the ball-head being turned by the handle-bar for steering the motion is transmitted to the steering-tube 2 and the front wheel, yet allow: ing the steering-tube freedom to move up and down relative to the center tube 5 and the Fig. 3 is a cross-.

sockettube l. The feather-key 7 may be made out of a separate piece of tubing, crumpled, as shown in Fig. 3, secured to the bottom of the steering-tube 2. The end of this tube is made tapered, and fits correspondingtapered surfaces on the crown 3 and plug 8, so that when the plug 8 (which forms the air-stop mentioned hereinafter) is screwed up by the nut 9, the feather-key tube 7 is securely fastened, and the steering motion can be transmitted from handle-bar to wheel. A metal ring 10 presses a rubber ring 11 between steeringtube 2 and plug 8, thus making the joint air-tight.

I prefer to use com pressed'air for the spring,

the compressed air filling the inside of the center tube, part of the steering-tube, and, if it be found necessary, the fork sides, and being prevented from leaking between the center tube and the steering-tube by means of a rolling packing-mitten 12, described in British specification No. 412 of the year 1901. The play of the steering-tube in the sockettube is limited by stops, steel springs, rubber pads, or air cushions being employed to deaden the shock. The air is forced in through a valve 13, fastened to the upper end of the center tube. The bearing-piece 21, which is forced against the top of the key-tube 7, forms a stop, against which the piston 6 strikes when the steering-tube moves downward relative to the socket-tube. The said bearing-piece 21 slides easily on the center tube and forms a bearing for it and has fixed to .it the distancetube 22. The top of the steering-tube forms a plain sliding bearing with the inside surface of the socket-tube 1.

Means are provided for getting easy access to the air-spring mitten and the other parts referred to in this specification. circular edge of the mitten is fastened to the center tube by means of the ferrule 23 and the nut 24. The other end or circular edge of the mitten is fastened to the steering-tube, one method of fastening being as follows: The bearing-piece 21 is permanently fitted to the end of the distance-tube 22, which fits loosely in the steering-tube 2. The ring 25, which may or may not bear on the center tube, is similarly permanently attached to the upper end of the distance-tube 26, fitting loosely inside the steering-tube. Between the con tiguous ends of these two distance-tubes the One end or i outer circular edge of the mitten 12 is pressed, the end of the distance-piece 22 being made conical, so as to produce an outward component pressing the edge of the mitten against the inner surface of the steering-tube, so as to form an air-tight joint therewith. The pressure is obtained by screwing up the nut 27 on the upper end of the steering-tube, thus pressing against the piece 25. The pressure is transmitted through the upper distancetube, the outer edge of the mitten and the lower distance-tube forcing the bearing-piece 21 into contact with the top of the keywaytube 7.

The stop limiting the downward travel of the steering-tube relative to the center tube is the bearing-piece 21 ,which strikes against the piston (3.

The arrangement of the parts of the airspring supporting the rear wheel is similar to the front air-spring, but is not so complex, owing to no provision being required for a relative turning or steering movement. The outer tube 2 of the rear air-spring, Fig. 4, is hinged to the seat-lug, and the center tube 5 is rigidly fastened to the fork sides. The top of the center tube is fitted with a piston 6,

, which is easily attached and detached by the bearing-piece 25.

inner surface of the outer tube pin 31. The said piston may have small grooves turned on its outer surface, in which rings of thin wire may be fitted, and on the 2 air-grooves 32 are formed to allow the air normally to pass from one side of the piston 6 to the other; but when the piston slides to the end of the air-grooves cushioning action starts. The mitten is held in place by the same arrangement as is used in the front air-spring. The distance-tube 22 is carried by the bearing-piece 21, which fits up tight against a shoulder formed on the outer tube 2, the bore of the upper portion of the outer tube being thus less than the bore of the lower portion, or the outer tube-2 may be made of uniform thickness throughout and a separate grooved tube 7 placed inside the said outer tube 2, so as to serve as an abutment for the bearingpiece 21 and to give the cushioning action toward the ends of the travel of the piston 6.. The other distance-tube 26 is carried by the The pressure is obtained by screwing up the nut 27, which screws in the end of the outer tube 2. Aring or scraper is fitted, as in the case of the front spring, described hereinafter.

If desired, the cushioning may be obtained by steel springs or rubber pads instead of by the means hereinbefore described.

The upper,end of the center tube of the front air-spring, Fig. 2, goes through a thimble 30 and is securely fastened thereto by a nut 31 screwed on the said end, tapered surfaces on the said thimble and center tube being pressed together in frictional contact by screwing up the said nut. The upper end of the steering-socket on the main frame has a ball-race 32 screwed or otherwise fastened thereto, and the weight of the machine and rider is transferred to the center tube by a row of balls between the said ball-race 32 and a flange 33 on the aforesaid thimble 30. A second row of balls rests above the said ballrace 32 and supports the disk 34, which is screwed on the thimble 30. The disk 34 is screwed down until the aforesaid balls are properly adjusted. The disk 34 is locked by a split taper thimble 35, which is pressed down by the handle-bar lug 36. The said lug has the handle-bars attached to it by the polygonal stem and is forced onto the split taper thimble 35 by another split taper thimble 37. The lamp-bracket 38 rests on the top of the thimble 37 and is provided with two projections or keys fitting into corresponding grooves out into the handle-bar lug 36 and is secured in place by the nut 39, screwing on the upper end of the aforesaid thimble 30. The said nut 39 thus locks the two split taper thimbles 37 and 35, the handle-bar lug 36, the disk 34, and the thimble 3O securely together.

\Vhile any form of handle-bar may be employed, I prefer that herein illustrated.

The handle-bar shown is of the divided type, the vertical adjustment being obtained by raising each half-bar about the stem 40 as a fulcrum, this stern serving to half-bars to the handle-barlug 36. The handle-bar lug 36, Fig. 2, has a taper surface 46 turned on it. Onto this taper surface the small lug 45, which is brazed into the half handle-bar 43, is slipped, the inside surface for half its thickness being turned to the same taper as the aforesaid taper surface 46 of the handle-bar lug 36. A taper thimble 47 is then slipped over the pin 40 and engages with a corresponding taper cut on that side of the aforesaid lug which faces it. Another taper thimble 48, similar to 47, but tapered the reverse way, is then slipped onto the stem 40 and abuts against the thimble 47. The small lug 44, similar to 45, which is brazed to the half handle-bar 42, is then slipped onto the taper thimble 48. The taper thimble 49, similar to the aforesaid thimble 47, is then slippedon the stem 40 and en gages with the taper cut on that side of the aforesaid lug 44 which faces it. The stem 40 is made of hexagonal cross-section, and the pieces 49, 48, and 47 have similarly-shaped holes through them. The taper thimbles 47, 48, and 49 may be split. When the nut 50, screwing on the end of the said pin 40, is screwed up, the thimbles 47, 48, and 49, the lugs 44 and 45, and the handle-bar lug 36 are pressed into frictional contact and all relative motion prevented. To adjust the height of the handles, the nut 50 is slackened, and the end pressure between the taper surfaces of the handle-bar lugs and the thimbles being removed the two half handle-bars may be moved into the desired position. When the clamp the adjustment is completed, the half handlebars are locked in position by screwing up the nut 50.

At the bottom of the socket-tube 1 a plain bearing is provided, as shown in Fig. 2, which allows the steering-tube to turn and to slide up and down. To the bottom of the sockettube 1 is screwed a small milled ring 51, which retains a ring or scraper 52 in positiomwhich scrapes olf any dust which may gather on the steering-tube 2. The said scraper is lit on the steering-tube, but is free to move slightly laterally as well as to turn relatively to the socket-tube.

I find that a bicycle with both wheels insulated from the frame by air-springs, as hereinbefore described, is not only more comfortable over rough roads, but is also easier to drive than the usual type of bicycle. The wheels can with advantage be made much smaller than usual. This in turn modifies the general lines of the frame. A bicycle with only the front wheel supported by an air-spring is much faster than one of the usual type, and as this does not involve a swing crank-bracket it will be cheaper to make though not so comfortable as a bicycle with both wheels supported by air-springs.

1. The combination with the center tube and the steering-tube movable one within the other, of a distance-tube fitting loosely within the steering-tube, means connected to the upper end of said distance-tube and embracing the center tube, an air-tight rolling packing-mitten interposed between the distancetube and the center tube, means securing one end of the said mitten securely tolthe disa good tance-tube, and means securing the other end of said mitten to the center tube, all substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with the steering-tube and the center tube, relatively movable one within the other, of the distance-tube fitted loosely within the steering-tube, the bearingpiece secured to secured to the upper end of the said distancetube, and the air-tight rolling packing-mitten interposed between said bearing-piece and ring and having one end secured fixedly to the distance-tube and the other end to the center tube, as set forth.

3. The combination with the steering-tube and the center tube relatively movable one within the other, of means allowing the steering-tube freedom of movement up and down relatively to the center tube yet permitting of the transmitting of motion to the steeringthe distance-tube, the ring tube, a piston on the center tube and engaging said means, a bearing-piece adapted to engage said means to limit the movement of the tube, a distance-tube fitted to slide freely within the steering-tube, a ring carried by the upper end of the distance-tube, and an airtight rolling packing-mitten disposed about the center tube with one end fixedly connected therewith and the other end fastened to said distance-tube, all substantially as shown and described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

ARGHIBALD SHARP;

Witnesses:

SIDNEY MCARTHUR FOWLER, G. E. EMBLETON. 

